Cube under wraps

Hours before the iPhone 5 goes on sale, the facade of Apple's Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan is obscured by a giant black cloak. Much of the view is also blocked by a row of satellite trucks parked in front.

In a mellow mood

Jessica Mellow, who waited in line a week for the iPhone 5, flashes her sure-thing tickets outside the Fifth Avenue Apple Store in NYC. The tickets guaranteed the holder that a phone would be waiting for them once inside the store.

Moving right along...

The line at the Fifth Avenue Apple Store at about 8:45 a.m. ET, 45 minutes after the store opened for business. The line was definitely long, but Apple kicked the transaction process into gear and was quickly cycling through buyers.

Madmen (and women)

Prior to the door opening at the Cube at 8 a.m. ET, the line wound all the way down 58th Street. What you're seeing here is the line extending around the block up Madison Avenue at around 8:45 a.m. ET.